


Winter

by A_Writing_Pen



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Gen, Ruroken Week, ruroken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-05 10:31:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1815343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Writing_Pen/pseuds/A_Writing_Pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter may not be Kenshin's least favorite season anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 | June 19: Four seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, or Autumn) or Colors or Monochrome

Winter had always been Kenshin’s least favorite season. As a child it meant that his family’s meager earnings after the harvest was all they had to eat, after the bitter cold and snow made the fields useless, and it was never enough. On the mountain with Hiko, winter was always harsher and confined master and student to their small home. And in his memory, the snow always reminded him how much its cold white contrasted with warm blood and the scent of white plums.

But watching a 3- year old Kenji walk around in his many layers of clothing and small boots for the first time brought a new meaning to winter. The cold of the early morning became tolerable when Kenji saw the familiar yard covered in a blanket of white. His eyes grew wide, and he pulled on his father’s clothes, pleading to go outside. Kenshin still had to gather the firewood from the store room and light the fire place to warm their home, so he decided to take Kenji with him.

Wrangling the toddler into his winter wear was more difficult then he expected, since Kenji wouldn’t stay still long enough for Kenshin to get more than one boot on before Kaoru stepped in humming an old lullaby that instantly made Kenji comply. Watching the scene, Kenshin wondered how without fail, Kenji always gravitated towards Kaoru with his parental favoritism. But then of course, Kenshin himself had gravitated towards her enough to end his wandering and find a happiness he didn’t think possible, so maybe it was a trait passed down.

Outside, Kenji stepped into his father’s footprints in the snow. The strides were almost too wide for him but when Kenji stepped on the open snow, he would sink down to his knees and struggle to lift his foot out high enough to take the next step. Instead of showing distress, he just sloshed through the snow amazed at how the yard had been transformed overnight. When the Kenji had too much difficulty, Kenshin would pick him up until he asked to be put down again.

By the time Kenshin had gathered the firewood, Kenji was waist deep in the snow and digging up the snow around him with his hands. Kenshin went to the boy out again, the firewood tucked under his arm, but he was greeted with a snowball to the face. The toddler giggled at his accomplishment.

“I think we’ve had enough of that for now.” Kenshin said while wiping the snow from his face.

From porch they could hear Kaoru laughing much too hard at the incident, which caused then three-year old to beam with approval and try to launch another snowball that missed. Not to be discouraged, Kenji began crafting a third, but Kenshin picked him before he finished. With the small mound in his hand, Kenji threw it at Kenshin again but it came apart and fell like a small shower, sticking to Kenshin’s hair and clothes.

“Snow!” Kenji said in a high pitched voice that only small children had, and then repeated it while tugging on Kenshin’s hair to get back the flakes that were beginning to melt.

While Kaoru continued to laugh and their son saw the snow as nothing more than a miracle of the night, Kenshin felt a warmth he had not known in the winter cold.


End file.
